The Age of Exploration:Would you go?

Port 1
The 15th and 16th century were a time of exploration and discovery for European nations. Taking advantage of new maritime knowledge and inventions, European powers undertook sea expeditions to expand their trade and influence.
  • What possible rewards might come from exploring the seas for new lands?
Luxuries and a supply of natural resources can be found when exploring the seas for new lands. Since the countries in Europe are fairly small, they lack a abundant supply of natural resources. The supply of resources from the new lands can help assist the industries of Europe. Luxuries such as cocoa beans, gold, and silver can be used by the nobles and the royalty. In the past, the Italians and the Arabs had a control on the prices of spices, resources, and luxuries. These resources were highly priced and so many European countries sought to discover their own routes in order to lower the price of these resources. All of these resources could be bought for a cheap price since the middle men were eliminated after the exploration of the new lands.
  • What are the risks involved in embarking on a voyage into the unknown?
There may be undiscovered diseases or a group of indigenous people. The diseases could wipe out the whole population on the fleet. The indigenous people could attack and loot the supply on the fleet as well. The weather could be too cold for crops and food to be grown so the sailors wouldn’t be able to get nutrition.
  • What will you do if you actually run into other people?
I would first make an attempt to work together to survive but if they act violently toward me, I would kill them for my own protection.

Your final task before leaving for the long voyage is FOR BOTH to look up ONE piece of new navigation technology you will be using so that you can teach your partner about how you will be using it. THIS INFORMATION COULD SAVE YOURT LIVES! Simply, search for ONE of the following tools and write a few sentences describing WHAT the instrument is and HOW it is used. (You can also look at p. 97 in your text to get you started.)
  • Astrolabe
  • Sextant
  • Compass
  • Caravel
A caravel is a small sailing ship developed in the 15th century for the purpose of exploration. The sails allowed the ship move swiftly. The ship is very thin so it couldn’t contain much cargo.

Port 2
Explorer
Dates of Voyage(s)
Size of Fleet
Discoveries/Achievements
Christopher Columbus
  • 1492 Departure at Portugal
  • 1492 Discovery of Cuba
  • 1493 Arrival at Portugal
Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria
First one to discover the New World (America)
Ferdinand Magellan (Spain)
  • 1519 Departure at Spain
  • 1520 Discovery of the Pacific Ocean
  • 1521 Passed the Philippines
  • 1522 Passed through the Cape of Good Hope
  • 1522 Arrival at Spain
  • Flagship Trinand
  • Santiago
  • Victoria
  • Concepcion
  • San Antonio
Traveled around the world.

Found a westward route to Asia

Even though Magellan and many of his crew members died, his ship arrived back to Spain successfully.
Smith
  • 1606 Departure at England
  • 1607 Arrival at eastern shore of the United States
N/A
settled and formed Jamestown

brought natural resources from the New World
My Voyage (Spain)
  • 2011 Departure at Korea
  • 2012 Arrival at Alaska
  • 5 ships 30 men each
  • 70 soldiers, 50 workers, 30 sailors
Traveled to Alaska enduring the cold weather.

Able to prove the security of the route.
Graph of the Voyages


Port 3
  • Identify the causes of African slavery.
  • In the 16th Century, The Americans needed a large number of people to work in the cotton, sugarcane, and tobacco plantations because these plantations were labor-intensive. The production cost would be too much if the owners of the plantations were to pay every worker. Slaves were needed for the owners to receive profit from the plantations. The slaves in Africa built up immunity to the European diseases. Many African slaves had experience in farming. Also since America was a new place for the Africans, it was less likely for them to escape. With the superiority in weapons, the Europeans easily shipped many African slaves to the Americas for profit

  • Explain the Triangular Trade Route.
  • The Triangular Trade Route was a trading network on the Atlantic Ocean. The Europeans transported manufactured goods to the west coast of Africa and traded these goods with African slaves. The African slaves were then transported across the Atlantic Ocean. Merchants bought sugar, coffee, and tobacco in exchange for the African slaves. These goods were brought to Europe to be sold.

  • Identify the consequences of the slave trade.
  • It brought an economic crisis for the countries in Africa. Since their most productive population, the young and healthy workers, were taken away from Africa to Europe or America, the countries in Africa couldn’t make money. The old population were the only ones living in Africa and these old people couldn’t farm, trade, or reproduce. The economic crisis was a long term effect because a new generation couldn’t be created. All of the population that could reproduce were taken to the Americas or Europe to increase the amount of slaves. The African countries struggled to live in these harsh conditions.

Port 4

APPARTS
A (Author)
shogunate
P (Place in Time)
1635, Nagasaki, a busy port with the most foreign contact
P (Prior Knowledge)
Christianity contradicts with the Japan’s idea that the emperor is a god. In Christianity, there is only one god but in Japan’s religion, the emperor is considered a god as well.
A (Audience)
higher officials of Japan
R (Reason)
Japan wanted to maintain isolation. The shogunate wanted to inform the higher officials to enforce these laws.
T (The Main Idea)
People from overseas were feared since they can bring influences that can undermine the strength of Japan.
S (Significance)
These harsh laws were made just for the sake of maintaining isolation. This shows that the shogunate will take extreme measures to stay in power. Killing those who returned from overseas shows how the shogunate took extreme measures.